‘The Sabres could have saved themselves two days of questions if they would have said as much. Instead, Lindy Ruff told reporters to simply ask Connolly what happened. Connolly wasn’t available for three days, which made the media even more skeptical given his history of concussions and other injuries.’

‘"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Rivet said after Thanksgiving Day practice Thursday morning in HSBC Arena. "[Coach Lindy Ruff] is going to go with who he’s confident with and that’s the bottom line. Right now, we need to win some hockey games."’

‘The game featured a recipe that certainly didn’t tantalize the tastebuds of any Sabres fans. Add one hot goaltender to an ice-cold offense and toss in a dash of turnovers, and the result is predictable.’

‘“In a game like that, you can’t miss the net on some of those good chances,” said Ruff, whose team has dropped three of four after a 4-0-1 run. “You can’t miss the net on the power play when you’re dead in the slot. Those are ones you’re going to have to convert if you’re going to win hockey games.”’

‘”It was a deflected puck, and obviously, he caught me off-guard there,” said Enroth on the only mistake he made in the contest. “I think I screwed up when I tried to play the puck instead of looking at the shooter.”‘

‘”You can’t miss the chances we missed. In a game like that, you can’t miss the net on some of the good chances, you can’t miss the net on the power play when you’re dead in the slot… Those are ones you’re going to have to convert if you’re going to win hockey games.”‘

‘I am not in the habit of getting gooey over sports stars. But this guy stands above and beyond the standard-issue millionaire jock. His Steadfast Foundation, formed as Miller’s teenage cousin battled leukemia, has raised nearly $900,000. It’s the real thing, not some public relations gesture intended as much to polish a star’s image as to help a cause.’

‘”I was coaching,” Ruff said with a grin. “That’s what it was. A little bit of complacency in that drill bothered me because our power play was making strides. You can’t practice like that. You can’t practice the power play and have it be effective the way we were practicing. I just chose to get my point across.”‘